Sonnet 18

William Shakespeare

‘Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day?,’ also known as ‘Sonnet 18,’ is one of the Fair Youth poems. It is addressed to a mysterious male figure that scholars have been unable to identify.

Cite

William Shakespeare

Nationality: English

William Shakespeare is considered to be one of the most important English-language writers.

His plays and poems are read all over the world. 

Key Poem Information

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Central Message: True beauty endures beyond physical appearance.

Themes: Aging, Beauty, Desire, Love

Speaker: William Shakespeare

Emotions Evoked: Compassion, Joyfulness

Poetic Form: Shakespearean Sonnet

Time Period: 16th Century

This poem is a masterful ode to the power of love and art to transcend the limitations of time and mortality

Although William Shakespeare is best known as a playwright, he is also the poet behind 154 sonnets, which were collected for the first time in a collection in 1609. Based on the Petrarchan (or Italian) sonnet, Shakespeare’s sonnets differ from the norm by addressing not only a young woman – which was the norm in Italy – but also a young man, known throughout as the Fair Youth. 

A total of 126 of the 154 sonnets are largely taken to be addressed to the Fair Youth, which some scholars have also taken as proof of William Shakespeare’s homosexuality.

Sonnet 18
William Shakespeare

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?Thou art more lovely and more temperate:Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,And summer's lease hath all too short a date:Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,And often is his gold complexion dimmed,And every fair from fair sometime declines,By chance, or nature's changing course untrimmed:But thy eternal summer shall not fade,Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st,Nor shall death brag thou wander'st in his shade,When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st,   So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,   So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
Sonnet 18 - Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day? by William Shakespeare


Summary

Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day? attempts to justify the speaker’s beloved’s beauty by comparing it to a summer’s day, and comes to the conclusion that his beloved is better after listing some of the summer’s negative qualities.

While summer is short and occasionally too hot, his beloved has a beauty that is everlasting, and that will never be uncomfortable to gaze upon. This also riffs – as Sonnet 130 does – on the romantic poetry of the age, the attempt to compare a beloved to something greater than them. Although in Sonnet 130, Shakespeare is mocking the over-flowery language, in Sonnet 18, Shakespeare’s simplicity of imagery shows that that is not the case. The beloved’s beauty can coexist with summer, and indeed be more pleasant, but it is not a replacement for it.

Detailed Analysis

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate:

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

And summer’s lease hath all too short a date:

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,

And often is his gold complexion dimmed,

And every fair from fair sometime declines,

By chance, or nature’s changing course untrimmed:

But thy eternal summer shall not fade,

Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st,

Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade,

When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st,

   So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,

   So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

The poem opens with the speaker putting forward a simple question: can he compare his lover to a summer’s day? Historically, the theme of summertime has always been used to evoke a certain amount of beauty, particularly in poetry. Summer has always been seen as the respite from the long, bitter winter, a growing period where the earth flourishes itself with flowers and with animals once more. Thus, to compare his lover to a summer’s day, the speaker considers their beloved to be tantamount to a rebirth, and even better than summer itself.

As summer is occasionally short, too hot, and rough, summer is, in fact, not the height of beauty for this particular speaker. Instead, he attributes that quality to his beloved, whose beauty will never fade, even when ‘death brag thou waander’stin his shade‘, as he will immortalize his lover’s beauty in his verse.

So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, / So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

The immortality of love and beauty through poetry provides the speaker with his beloved’s eternal summer. Though they might die and be lost to time, the poem will survive, will be spoken of, will live on when they do not. Thus, through the words, his beloved’s beauty will also live on.

In terms of imagery, there is not much that one can say about it. William Shakespeare’s sonnets thrive on simplicity of imagery, at a polar opposite to his plays, whose imagery can sometimes be packed with meaning. Here, in this particular sonnet, the feeling of summer is evoked through references to the ‘darling buds‘ of May, and through the description of the sun as golden-complexioned. It is almost ironic that we are not given a description of the lover in particular. In fact, scholars have argued that, as a love poem, the vagueness of the beloved’s description leads them to believe that it is not a love poem written to a person, but a love poem about itself; a love poem about love poetry, which shall live on with the excuse of being a love poem. The final two lines seem to corroborate this view, as it moves away from the description of the lover to point out the longevity of his own poem. As long as men can read and breathe, his poem shall live on, and his lover, too, will live on, because he is the subject of this poem.

However, opinions are divided on this topic.

Shakespeare’s sonnets are all written in iambic pentameter – an unstressed syllable, followed by a stressed syllable, with five of these in each line – with a rhyming couplet at the end.

Historical Background

William Shakespeare was born in 1564 in Stratford-Upon-Avon to an alderman and glover. He is widely regarded as the greatest English writer of all time, and wrote 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and 38 plays, though recently another play has been found and attributed to William Shakespeare. Although much is known about his life, scholars are still uncertain as to whether or not Shakespeare actually authored his works, and convincing arguments exist on both sides.

He died on his 52nd birthday, after signing a will that declared that he was in ‘perfect health’. Theories about his death include that he drank too much at a meeting with Ben Jonson, and Drayton, contemporaries of his, contracted a fever and died.

His work remains a lasting source of wonder to many filmmakers, writers, and scholars, and has been recreated in other media – most noticeably Baz Luhrmann’ 2004 Romeo + Juliet. William Shakespeare’s work also has worldwide appeal and has been recreated for Japanese audiences in films such as Throne of Blood, which is based on Macbeth, though Throne of Blood eschews all the poetry and focuses simply on the story.

Poetry+ Review Corner

Sonnet 18

Enhance your understanding of the poem's key elements with our exclusive review and critical analysis. Join Poetry+ to unlock this valuable content.
Period:
Nationality:
Themes:
Emotions:

William Shakespeare

99
William Shakespeare's poetry is an enduring testament to the power of language and the human experience. His works, including 'Sonnet 18,' are renowned for their poetic beauty, philosophical depth, and emotional resonance. Through his verse, Shakespeare explores universal themes of love, loss, and the human condition, captivating readers and audiences across generations.
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16th Century

98
The 16th century was a period of great literary and cultural flourishing, marked by the rise of humanism and the revival of classical learning. 'Sonnet 18' reflects the 16th century's fascination with love, beauty, and the transience of human existence. Poetry was a key medium for expressing the era's ideas, values, and emotions, with writers like Shakespeare, Edmund Spenser, and John Donne producing works of great artistry and innovation.
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English

99
This poem is a classic example of English poetry, reflecting the tradition's emphasis on beauty, emotion, and the power of language to capture the complexity of human experience. English poetry has a rich and diverse history, encompassing a wide range of styles, genres, and themes. William Shakespeare is one of the most celebrated poets of the English tradition, renowned for his mastery of language and his enduring literary legacy.
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Aging

70
Aging is a central theme of 'Sonnet 18,' which meditates on the fleeting nature of beauty and the inevitability of death. The poem suggests that even the most beautiful things in life are subject to the ravages of time, but it also implies that the power of art can transcend mortality.
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Beauty

98
Beauty is a central motif of this poem, which explores the nature of aesthetic perfection and its relationship to mortality. The poem celebrates the beauty of the speaker's beloved but also acknowledges that beauty is a fleeting and transient quality. Shakespeare's exploration of beauty reflects the 16th century's fascination with aesthetics and the visual arts and continues to inspire artists and thinkers today.
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Desire

60
Desire is a recurring theme in Shakespeare's poetry, including 'Sonnet 18.' The poem expresses the speaker's longing for his beloved and suggests that desire is a powerful and transformative force. However, the poem also implies that desire is tempered by the recognition of mortality and that true love transcends mere physical attraction.
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Love

75
Love is a central theme in this poem that celebrates true affection's enduring power. The poem suggests that love can transcend the limitations of time and mortality and can inspire acts of compassion, kindness, and generosity. Shakespeare's exploration of love reflects his belief in the transformative power of human connection and his conviction that the bonds of affection are essential to the human experience.
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Compassion

67
Compassion is a key element of Shakespeare's poetry, this poem. The poem suggests that true love inspires acts of kindness and empathy and that compassion is essential to the human experience.
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Joyfulness

50
Joyfulness is a recurring emotion in Shakespeare's poetry, which celebrates the pleasures of life and the beauty of the natural world. This poem expresses the speaker's delight in the warm, sunny days of summer and suggests that joyfulness is an essential component of human happiness.
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Inner Beauty

90
Inner beauty is an underlying theme of this poem, which suggests that true beauty is not merely superficial but is rooted in the qualities of the soul. The poem implies that the speaker's beloved possesses inner beauty that transcends physical appearance and that this beauty will endure long after the outward signs of youth and beauty have faded.
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Old Age

43
This poem meditates on the inevitable decline and decay of the human body. The poem suggests that even the most beautiful things in life are subject to the ravages of time, but it also implies that the power of art can transcend mortality.
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Summer

50
This poem celebrates the warmth, brightness, and beauty of the season. The poem suggests that summer is a time of abundance, vitality, and joy and that it represents the height of natural beauty and fertility. Shakespeare's reflections on summer reflect his understanding of the rhythms of the natural world and his appreciation for the simple pleasures of life.
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Youth

60
The poem implies that youth is a time of great potential and promise but also acknowledges that it is fleeting and subject to the ravages of time. Shakespeare's reflections on youth reflect his understanding of the transience of human existence and his belief in the importance of seizing the moment and living life to the fullest.
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Shakespearean Sonnet

100
The Shakespearean sonnet is a form of poetry that consists of three quatrains and a concluding couplet, with a rhyme scheme of abab cdcd efef gg. 'Sonnet 18' is a classic example of the form and reflects Shakespeare's mastery of the sonnet tradition. The Shakespearean sonnet was a popular form of poetry in the 16th century and remains a staple of English literature today, valued for its elegance, concision, and emotional intensity.
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Elise Dalli Poetry Expert
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Elise has been analysing poetry as part of the Poem Analysis team for neary 2 years, continually providing a great insight and understanding into poetry from the past and present.

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